Proposed by Councillor Stuart Kelly

Seconded by Councillor Dave Mitchell

(1)  This council notes the importance of protecting education opportunities for Wirral's young people and welcomes the Coalition Government’s decision to increase the amount of money allocated to schools.

(2)  Council also welcomes the introduction of the pupil premium, providing £430 extra funding for 2011/12 per pupil on Free School Meals, looked after children and the children of service-men and women.

(3)  Council notes the estimated £5m benefit this pupil premium will bring to over 11,000 of Wirral's most deprived and vulnerable pupils, (based on October 2010 School Census data).

(4)  Council believes this extra investment will help to ensure every pupil in Wirral has a fair start in life.

(5)  Council also welcomes the Coalition Government’s commitment to increase the pupil premium fourfold by 2014/15, bringing the total premium to the £2.5bn called for by the Liberal Democrats in their manifesto.

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2).

Proposed by Councillor Chris Meaden (7 minutes)

Seconded by Councillor Ann McArdle (3 minutes)

Delete all after “This Council notes the importance of protecting education opportunities for Wirral’s young people”. Insert:

(1)  Council recognises the attempt being made by the Liberal Democrats to put a gloss on the sad remnants of a policy in their manifesto which set out to improve the lot of children from poorer homes and ended up in a Coalition smoke and mirrors exercise of no real benefit to anyone.

(2)  Council notes:

(a)  The amount of the pupil premium is much lower than originally anticipated, at just £430 per pupil, which is not sufficient to achieve the kind of educational gains that were hoped for.

(b)  The total national figure of £625m is not new money but will be found from within the existing schools budget.

(c)  This is simply a re-arrangement of schools funding, robbing Peter to pay Paul.

(d)  It is estimated that up to two thirds of schools will actually lose money with the only guarantee on Minimum Funding being that schools will not lose more than 1.5% of their cash allocation.

(e)  The pupil premium is not ring fenced for specific activities, and may therefore simply be used to make up the shortfall elsewhere.

(f)  In an area like Wirral with falling school rolls there will already be substantial pressure in the system as their funding is decreased to match the lower number of pupils in the schools.

(3)  Council believes that the attempt to sell this pupil premium as a fulfilment of an initial manifesto commitment is indicative of the cynical relationship between the two Coalition partners and the desperation of the Liberal Democrat party to persuade their voters that the Coalition, which is proving a wholesale disaster for them, has yielded some returns for their betrayal of the electorate.

The amendment was put and lost (22:41).

The motion was put and carried (41:22).

Resolved (41:22) –

(1)  This council notes the importance of protecting education opportunities for Wirral's young people and welcomes the Coalition Government’s decision to increase the amount of money allocated to schools.

(2)  Council also welcomes the introduction of the pupil premium, providing £430 extra funding for 2011/12 per pupil on Free School Meals, looked after children and the children of service-men and women.

(3)  Council notes the estimated £5m benefit this pupil premium will bring to over 11,000 of Wirral's most deprived and vulnerable pupils, (based on October 2010 School Census data).

(4)  Council believes this extra investment will help to ensure every pupil in Wirral has a fair start in life.

(5)  Council also welcomes the Coalition Government’s commitment to increase the pupil premium fourfold by 2014/15, bringing the total premium to the £2.5bn called for by the Liberal Democrats in their manifesto.